Guarding His Heart

by Serena Pettus

  Screaming, she fought with renewed vigor, kicking and punching the giant who held her. It did no good. A second later, she was dropped to her feet then spun and shoved up against the van, his solid bulk squishing her against the side and making breathing difficult.

  “You want to know something? I was really looking forward to prolonging this, but now that you’ve tried to get away, we have to wrap it up before anything else happens. Don’t worry, we’ll let you send one last message to your mate before we’re done. It’ll be the last time he sees you before he goes insane.” A deep rumbling sound from behind told her the bear was in agreement.

  “You may have caught me, but Kitty will get help,” Lynn spat as he forced her arms up.

  “A feline named Kitty? Well, isn’t that special,” he laughed. Rubbing his body against hers, he pulled a cord of rope from his pocket then secured her wrist to the bars running along the top of the van. He leaned to her ear and whispered, “Sadly, there won’t be anything left of you to save.”

  After tying her other hand, he moved back and she saw them in the reflection of the van’s window. He pulled out her phone, toying with it for a moment before a sickeningly triumphant smile broke over his face.

  “I’m so glad you have the face-to-face call feature on here. We’re doing this session live. Want to know why? Because at this point, it doesn’t matter if they try to track your cell. You’ll be dead long before they get here.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. Knowing Jag had witnessed them using the belt on her was bad enough, but for him to watch them kill her would destroy him. Oddly enough, even facing death, Lynn could only think of Jag. It spoke of just how deep her love was for him, that he was still her number one priority even when she faced certain death. She wasn’t going to get out of this on her own, and Lynn prayed that Sam, Dylan and Liam would do their best to take care of Jag. She wanted him to be happy, to live his life to the fullest…without her.

  “It’s ringing. Showtime!”

  With the phone on speaker, Lynn heard Jag’s breathless, “Hello? Lynn?”

  “Not hardly. Activate your camera, and I’ll let her speak.”

  Jag came back with a string of obscenities.

  “Keep it up, feline,” her captor interrupted, “and I’ll let my friend here shred her while you listen to her screams.”

  She watched in the glass as he pointed the screen toward the bear behind her then panned over to where she stood. “Lynn,” Jag called out. “Are you okay?”

  “Don’t worry about me, Jag!” Lynn shouted. “Kitty got out. She’s running for help, I’m sure of it.”

  The man thrust the phone in front of her face. “Quit your fucking yowling, and say your goodbyes.”

  Lynn cleared her throat as best she could. This was it, the final words she’d say to the man she’d hoped to spend the rest of her life with. “I love you, Jag. They’re going to kill me regardless of what you do, so don’t come looking for me. Be happy and—”

  “Don’t you dare say goodbye to me, Lynn Edwards,” Jag snarled. “You hold on because I’m coming for you. Do you hear me? I love you more than life itself, and I am coming.”

  Sniffing, Lynn couldn’t stop the flow of tears pouring down her cheeks. “I hear you.”

  The screen moved, and the man behind her spoke again. “How sweet. I’ll tell you though, your little whore almost escaped with that freak bitch who can’t shift. I think one lash for every minute she was free should be sufficient punishment, don’t you?”

  “Don’t you fucking dare, you—”

  CRACK!

  The startling sound brought a searing pain across her back. Lynn whimpered, biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed rather than give them the gratification of hearing her cry out. It burned, and warmth spread down from where she’d been struck, telling her he’d succeeded in breaking her skin this time.

  “Red is such pretty color on her. Did I mention she was missing for about twenty minutes?”

  A furious roar came over the line. “Take me! Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come. Alone. You can peel my flesh from my body; just let her go.”

  Hearing Jag begging, pride be damned, anguish rife in his voice, wrenched a sob from her chest. If she didn’t somehow get out of this, he wouldn’t move on. She could see that now. He’d blame himself once more and slowly lose his sanity until either Liam or Dylan were forced to put him down like a rabid animal.

  Ignoring Jag’s pleas, the rogue held up the whip for her to see. “I added these just for you.” A straight razor had been tied at the bottom of every leather strip. “The smell of your blood is intoxicating when mixed with your fear. It’s got my friend back here anxious. I do believe his bear wants a bite.”

  “He goes near her, and I’ll pull his teeth out one by one,” Jag promised.

  Lynn still saw both rogues in the reflection of the van window and braced herself as best she could, hunching her shoulders in an attempt to protect her neck from the blades as he raised his arm once more.

  This time she couldn’t hold back a scream as her back was flayed open after two quick flicks of his wrist.

  “Keep threatening us, cat, and we’ll snap her neck.”

  “Lynn, just hold on for me,” Jag ordered. “Don’t you dare give up.”

  It was easy for him to say. Her body was already racked with tremors, her legs barely holding her up. The ropes dug into her wrists as she hung there. Lynn’s mouth was so dry now she couldn’t even reply.

  Suddenly, a ferocious roar sounded from outside. It was so loud, so deep, it rattled the windows, and Lynn felt the vibration in the vehicle she was against.

  “What the fuck was that?” the white-haired man demanded as the bear edged closer to the bay door.

  Gunshots rang out, followed by what sounded like a dozen horses pounding over the ground. There was a masculine shout then a deafening bang as they all looked up to see a large dent in the bay door.

  Lynn’s eyes widened in surprise as the bear next to her swung his big head around to snarl at her, as if she’d somehow done it. Behind her, the white-haired rogue demanded to know where Jag was. At the same time, Jag shouted to Lynn, trying to glean whether or not she was okay.

  The bear shifted back to human form, arms gesturing wildly. “If it’s not her mate, what the hell is out there?”

  “Try the window. See if you can spot anyone.” He moved closer to Lynn, putting the phone to her face before issuing his threat. “If that thing comes in here, she dies. Therefore, if it’s with you, you’d better call it off now.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jag replied. “I’m in a car, see?” He swung the phone around the interior, and Lynn caught sight of Dylan and Liam in the front seats. “Tell me where you are, and we’ll help. I just want my mate back.”

  “Yeah, along with my head on a platter. I think not.”

  The naked shifter ran back over, his face white and panic in his eyes. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s fucking huge. I just watched it drag Stan off! It killed him, man.”

  “I’ve got guns stashed in the van over there. Go grab ‘em.”

  A large shadow passed the window, and Lynn gaped. Whatever was out there stood at least eight feet tall, and if she wasn’t mistaken, a large tail swished behind it. She watched as the beast turned and headed back toward the bay doors, a low rumbling growl coming from the other side.

  Everyone jumped when the animal rammed the already damaged entrance. Jag, still on the line, shouted for them to release Lynn so she could run too, but her captor shook his head. “Are you kidding? If this is the monster they’ve been seeing on occasion, it can finish off your little girlfriend while we get out. I tell you what. I’ll even prop the phone by this box, so you can watch.”

  To Lynn’s utter mortification, he wasn’t kidding. He jogged over, amidst Jag’s cursing and promises of a painful death, and set the phone against a stack of boxes.

  “You miserable son-of-a-bitch,”
Lynn shouted, her voice cracking. “You’re a damn coward is what you are.”

  “What I am is a survivor.” He stomped back over just as the second man rounded the back of the van. “And leaving you here as a snack will gain me a nice head start.”

  Another loud bang, followed by the clanging of metal hitting the ground, and the beast was inside.

  Standing on all fours, it was truly a sight to behold. Golden fur speckled with spots of intertwining black, white and red covered its massive frame, what looked like a small mane circling its head, but what held Lynn’s attention were the ginormous fangs—tusks?—hanging down past its chin. It reminded her of a prehistoric animal she studied in school, but how was that possible?

  Amber eyes looked her over before snapping to the side and locking onto the two men slowly backing away.

  Lynn’s heart raced a mile a minute, and when the huge cat issued another bone-rattling roar, she nearly passed out from the terror. To her amazement, the beast leapt toward the men and chaos erupted.

  Chapter Ten

  Jag could only watch in horror as the biggest feline he’d ever seen advanced on Lynn. It appeared to give her a once-over before focusing again on the men in the room.

  “Floor it, Liam. We need to get there now.”

  “We’re three minutes out, but we need to be smart about this. Spooking this animal could trigger a bloodbath,” Liam cautioned, swerving to make the turn down the road leading to the warehouse matching the numbers on the scrap of paper they’d found.

  Gunfire sounded, and Jag held the phone so Dylan could see again, as well. Lynn struggled, her long blonde hair now matted with blood from her back as she tried desperately to free her hands.

  He and Dylan jumped when a severed leg flew over and landed next to Lynn, who screamed before going limp in her bonds. Crunching sounds carried over the line before the phone beeped, signaling a low battery.

  “Liam, is there a charger in here?”

  “I don’t know. This isn’t my usual ride.”

  Searching turned up nothing, and they watched helplessly as the beast flung the limbs of the rogues across the room like discarded chew toys.

  The warehouse came into view up ahead as the phone beeped again. Jag watched as the animal slowly walked back over to Lynn. Just as it swiped its tongue over her back, the screen went dark.

  Jag flung open the door and jumped from the SUV, shifting midair and taking off for the destroyed door and his injured mate. He might not survive a battle with the beast, but if it bought Lynn enough time for Liam and Dylan to reach her, it was worth it.

  Bounding into the room, Jag froze. Lynn and a nude Kitty lay on the ground by the van. Claws had gouged the roof and fragments of rope still hung where Lynn had been cut free. Had the giant feline freed her? When had Kitty come in? Lynn had told him she’d gone for help.

  He shifted and crouched down, eyes widening at the thought of Kitty being the beast, but all it took was the blood smeared all over her body and the bullet hole in her side to convince him.

  When her eyelids fluttered open, it was her cat looking back at him. “Your secret’s safe with me,” he promised.

  She nodded then looked to Lynn. “I tried to clean her back and rubbed some of my blood into her wounds. It will help her to heal faster. I’d suggest a transfusion, but…” Kitty gave a weak gesture to the still-bleeding wound in her side. “Not sure what it hit, but the bullet’s still in there.”

  “Shit!” Jag knew the bullet needed to come out or Kitty risked silver poisoning, but his instincts demanded he pick up his mate and hold her close.

  Lynn was lying there on her side. The slices on her back bled sluggishly and needed tending. Her being human worked against them now, but Kitty might have saved her from serious scaring by using her blood on the wounds. He’d suggest a transfusion of his own blood once they got back to the clinic, but for now, he had to do what he could.

  “Get her out of here first,” Kitty insisted. “She doesn’t need to see any of this when she wakes up. I’ll be fine.”

  The doors to the SUV slammed outside, and Jag did his best to lift Lynn gently, trying to avoid the deeper gashes. He was met with relieved sighs when he stepped outside with her in his arms. “I need bandages, a blanket and someone to help Kitty out of there.”

  “I thought Lynn said she’d gone for help?” Dylan pointed out while Liam darted inside.

  “Apparently, she came back. I didn’t exactly see her as one to desert her friends, did you? Right now she’s in need of a surgeon because she’s got a silver bullet lodged in her abdomen and it’s still bleeding.”

  Dylan swore and dragged his hand down his face. “Mason is already beside himself worrying. He’s with one of the other scout groups.”

  “Then you’d better call him. She looks as if she’s been put through the ringer. There’s a lot of bruising, but aside from being shot, she seems okay. It’s Lynn I’m worried about.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me!”

  The outburst from Kitty was followed by Liam’s gleeful laugh as he carried her out. “Don’t worry about it. The whole naked thing doesn’t bother me a bit. We’ll just focus on you getting better for now though.”

  “I’ll be a hundred times better if you’re far, far away from me,” she exclaimed, flailing in an attempt to get down. “Let me go! Do I look like some sniveling damsel to you?”

  “Not at all. You look like one of the bravest, most beautiful females I know, but you’re also injured, and I intend to see you get proper care for your wounds.”

  Spotting Dylan, Kitty beseeched him to call Mason to come get her, and not to let Liam drag her off anywhere.

  “Calm down before you make your bleeding worse,” Dylan demanded. “Of course, he wouldn’t take you off anywhere. I’ll put a call in to the group Mason is with, and he’ll meet us at the clinic. Now, just calm down.” Turning to his brother, he added, “Liam, behave.”

  “Then keep him away from me, please. I want to sit in the back with Lynn and Jag.” The mulish expression on her face would have been comical had she not been bruised, battered and covered in blood. One whiff told them it wasn’t just hers, but nobody commented.

  Dylan and Jag exchanged a bewildered look at her reaction to Liam then shrugged. “Okay,” Dylan agreed. “Help her into the backseat then get us back to the Pride clinic, Liam.”

  Once they had a bandage situated over her bullet wound, Kitty helped Jag tend to Lynn. They were nearly there when she finally roused, her beautiful emerald eyes gazing up at Jag from where she lay across his lap.

  “I’ve got you now, sweetheart. We’ll get you to Dr. Lewis, and you’ll be good as new before you know it. Just hang on,” he urged. He could only imagine what she’d been through between the videos sent to him.

  A dozen questions were on the tip of his tongue, but he refrained from asking right away. She was alive, in his arms, and he had to focus on that or he ran the risk of losing control of his cat. He scented the rogues on her skin, but couldn’t bring himself to inquire whether or not she’d been abused sexually as well as physically.

  He watched as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, but they still looked dry to him. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it again, along with her eyes. He raised his fingers to stroke her cheek, but Kitty stayed his hand.

  “She’s been through a lot and her body needs the rest. Neither one of us have had anything to eat or drink, so she’s probably dehydrated. I tried to keep their attention on me, but they were determined to torture her to teach you both a lesson. I’m not sad they’re dead. It’s just a pity it wasn’t as prolonged as it should have been.”

  Jag offered up a small smile. “I guess it’s a good thing the animal only had a taste for men today then, huh? Did you see where it went?” he asked, jerking his eyes toward the front seat.

  Kitty caught on quickly that he was giving her an out and winked. “Sorry, I was focused on Lynn at the time. I got really woozy for
a second and had to close my eyes. When I opened them again, you had just come in.”

  Dylan turned in his seat. “Well, whatever or whoever that was, we are in their debt. I just wish we could have gotten here before it left.”

  “Why? So you could bring it back to the Pride? You really think a bunch of lions would welcome something like that into their midst?” Kitty asked, her eyes narrowed and daring them to lie to her.

  “I can’t say for sure, but after the rescue and how those rogues were dispatched, he or she would be an asset.” Dylan shook his head, his mouth curving up into a ghost of a smile. “I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime, but that feline was amazing. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. It looked almost like a—”

  “Saber-toothed tiger, maybe mixed with another feline,” Kitty finished.

  A snicker came from Liam in the front seat. “That’s ridiculous! Those things are extinct and have been since the ice age. Besides, if there were any of them left, I’m sure they would have been spotted by now. It’s not like they could hide easily.”

  “Even if it was a shifter?” Jag wouldn’t out Kitty. It was her confession to make when she was ready, but he’d do whatever he could to help her, no matter what. She’d risked herself and her secret to save Lynn’s life, an act he’d work his whole life to repay. Now if he could only figure out why she was having such a negative reaction to Liam. As far as he knew, they’d never officially met before.

  “That’s impossible. Don’t you think we’d know if there were any prehistoric shifter breeds still in the world?”

  “We know what we saw.”

  “Well, I didn’t see a damn thing. I was driving, remember?”